Taximeter control.



J. D. SULSONA. TAXIMETER CONTROL. I

APPLICATION FILED DBG.29,1909.

Patented Sept. 5, 19 11.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

J. 1). SULSONA. TAXIMETER CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED B11029, 1909.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A T-TORNE Y 8 tinrrnn s'rn'rns PATENT OFFICE.

iiOZEPH D. SIlLSONA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO TAXIMETER CONTROL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TAXIMETER CONTROL;

neonate.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

Application filed'December 29, 1909. Serial No; 535,526.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnPH D. SULsoNA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, .borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Taximet-er Control, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

' This invention relates to a new and improved attachment for taxicabs, whereby the taximeter thereon may be controlled so that the chauffeur cannot conveniently operate the taxicab without recording the distance traveled when the taxicab is occupied by a "passenger.

An object of this invention is to provide means brought intq play by the entrance of a. passenger lnto a taxicab, whereby an alarm will continuously sound until the controlling arm or flag of the taximeter has been thrown,

to record the distance traveled by the vehicle while occupied by the passenger.

-A further object of this invention is to provide a device which will be simple in construction and positive in its operation,

and which may be readily attached to any,

taxicab already in use I These and further objects, togetherwith the'co'nstruction and combination of parts,

will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyin'g drawings forming apart of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure l is a fragmentary view in side elevation, of a taxicab with my device attached thereto,'parts being broken away to show the underlying structure in section; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan View, partly in section, of the movable members for forming a closed circuit; and Fig. 3 is a side view in elevation, of the taximeter, showing the arrangement of the contacts thereon. p

Referring more particularly to the separate parts of the device, 1 indicates a taxicab or other similar vehicle, which may be of any structure suitable for carrying passengers. Connected to the taxicab 1 in any well known manner, there is provided a taximeter 2, which is of a type adapted to register the distance traveled by the vehicle, and may also register the fare charged for the distance.

inasmuch as it is the purpose of this invention to start an alarm when a passengef enters the vehicle, there is connected to the vehicle in any well known manner a pair of contacts 4: and 5, normally held out of contact by means of springs 6 and 7 engaged between the relatively movable members 8 and 9 which carry the contacts et. and 5. These contacts 4 and 5 may be carried by any suitable part of the vehicle, such as the seat, the floor, or even the door, so as to be operated by a passenger carried by the vehicle.

In this form, I have shown a pair of the members 8, in the form of doors, hinged to the floor of the vehicle, within the same, and have provided a pair of contacts 4 to engage with a single elongated contact 5, so that a positive electrical connectionwill be made, no matter from which side of the vehicle the passenger enters. The contacts 4 are connected by means of a suit-able electrical conductor, such as a wire 10 to an arcuate contact member 11 secured in juxtaposition to the taximeter 2 in any well known manner.

The contact member 5.is connected by means of a suitable electrical connection, such as a wirc'12, to one terminal of a suitable source of electricity, indicated by a battery 13. The opposite terminal of the battery 13 is connected by an electrical conductor 14: to one terminal of a suitable 'alarm 15. This alarm 15 is preferably in the form of a double bell having'one portion 16 thereof extending within the vehicle, so that the passengers will be annoyed by the ringing thereof, and

another portion 17 extending outside of the vehicle, so that the chauffeur and persons dtheyeh e rill henotilied when the alarm is sou .rhe other terminal of the alarm ccted by'means of an electrical conductor 18, to a contact 1?) juxtaii posed to the arcuate contact 11 in sucha 1 e from the taximeter and connected thereto in any suitable manner, so that the throwing of the taximeter into and out of registering condition will break and make the connection between the contacts.

In order that the contact members iand 5 may be positively held in engagement after having once having been brought in intimate contact, the movable members 8 are provided with notches or openings 21, which are so positioned that they will be readily engaged by the beveled ends 22 on a forked latch arm 23 when depressed in such a condition that the contact members 4: are

'in engagement. The arm v.23 is pivotally connected .to a lever 24, which is normally urged in such a manner by a spring 25, that the ends 22 will be normally in a receptive position to engage theopenings 21.

The lever 24 has connected to its opposite end a push-rod 26,.which is juxtaposed to the chauifeurs seat, indicated at 27, so that it can be readily operated by the chauffeur to permit the contact members 4: and 5 to spread apart when the passenger has left the taxicab, so that he can throw the taximeter 2 out of operation without the bell 15- ringing. The control for the latch 28, however, can be placed in any other suitable. position, convenient for either the chauffeur or the passenger to release the'same on the exit of the passenger from the taxicab.

The operation of the device will be readily understood when taken in connection with the above description. The passenger, on entering the taxicab, brings one or more of the sets of contact members i and 5 into engagement with each other by the actuation of one or more of the members 8, which, althoughshown in the form of a door in the floor of the car, may be connected to the seat or the door of the taxicab. When this occurs, the circuit is completed through the source of electricity 1%; and the alarm 15, as long as the contacts 11 and 19 are in engagement; and as these contacts 11 and 19 are so positioned, they will be separated only when the taximeter is placed in its registering condition, as by throwing nooavvs noyance of the same will cause the passcn-- ger to notify the chauffeur; and further, the chauffeur personally will be afraid. that some inspector of the company will hear the ringing and take his number. The

chauffeur will therefore be obliged to throw the taximeter into its registering condition, to avoid hls probable discharge, and thus prevent the company from being robbed of the fares which the vehicle has earned.

When the passenger has left the vehicle, the chauffeur can readily release the members 8 by forcing the push rod 26 inwardly against the tension of the spring 25, and thereby permit him to throw the taximeter out of its registering condition, and thereby have the taxicab in a condition ready to receive another passenger. I

While I have shown the connecting wires in a diagrammatic form, I preferably intend to conceal or incase them in suitable metallic tubing, or protect them in any other way from being tampered with by the chauffeur.

-'While I have shown one embodiment of my invention, I do not Wish to be limited to the specific form or details disclosed therein, but desire to be protected in various changes, modifications, or alterations which I may make within the scope of the appended claims. For example, in place' of an audible signal, I may use a visible signal, or a combination of the two.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.:-

1. The combination with a vehicle, of a registering device connected to said vehicle, an alarm connected to said vehicle, means for controlling said alarm, adapted to be brought intoplay by the entrance of a passenger into said vehicle, said means including platforms, a bifurcated lock adapted to secure said platforms, a lever for operating said look, a push-rod extending to the front of said vehicle, adapted to operate said lever, and means, for controlling said alarm, connected to said registering device.

2. The combination with :1. vehicle, of a registering device connected to said vehicle, an alarm connected to said vehicle, a plurality of hinged platforms movably mounted in saidvchicle, adapted to be operated by the entrance of a passenger into said vehicle, a contact on each of said platforms, contacts on said vehicle disposed in opposition to said contacts on said platforms, means for keeping said contacts on said platforms out of contact with said contacts on said vehide, a source of electricity, electrical con- 10 tion corresponding to the connection of said contacts, a lever for operating said lock, and a push-rod extending in front of said vehicle, for operating said lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 15 two subscribing Witnesses.

JOSEPH D. SULSONA. Witnesses:

HORATIO WIIITING, PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs; 

